Upgrade Your Bathroom

Shave smarter
Instead of shaving first thing in the morning, have breakfast, shower, then shave. Your face won’t be as puffy, and the warm water will open pores and soften hairs, resulting in a closer shave and a delayed shadow.

Take years off your face
Better to wash your face in the shower than at the sink. The steam-rich environment opens your pores for deeper cleaning. For best results, start with an exfoliating face scrub and use soft, circular motions to spread the sandlike grains over your mug. (We like the Invigorating Face Scrub from Aramis Lab Series for Men ($17, labseriesformen.com. Exfoliation frees ingrown hairs and wipes away dead skin cells that would otherwise prevent soap from reaching the layers below, says Paul Frank, M.D., author of Turn Back the Clock without Losing Time.

Ditch the bar
When solid soap dries out, the cracks in it harbor bacteria. Lather up with a liquid body wash instead, like Every Man Jack. $5. target.com

Freshen up
There’s no cleaner feeling than supplementing TP with Cottonelle’s Moist Wipes. ’Nuff said. $5. drugstore.com

Keep your bristles clean
Toilet flushes send germs into orbit. The UV Sanitizer from Philips Sonicare uses UV light to kill up to 99.9 percent of bacteria that might happen to land on your toothbrush. Best of all, it works with most electric-toothbrush heads. $50. drugstore.com

Moisturize now, age later
Applying moisturizer to dry skin treats the symptom, not the disease. But moisturizing every day, beginning in your 20s, can delay wrinkles for years. “Apply it after you leave the shower in the morning, midway through your day, and after you hit the gym,” suggests Denise Vitiello, director of the fitness center and spa at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in New York City. We like Biotherm Homme’s Age Refirm lotion ($37, biotherm-usa.com).

Flurry-free your scalp
The most common cause of dandruff is an overgrowth of Pityrosporum ovale, says Amy Wechsler, M.D., a dermatologist at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. Excessive P. ovale inflames your scalp, accelerating the turnover of scalp cells from once a month to once every 10 days. Result: a buildup of dead skin cells, or dandruff. Some dandruff shampoos just wash away the flakes. Look for one with an antifungal drug like zinc pyrithione or ketoconazole.

Lose your baggage
Aging wears away the skin around your eye sockets, which, at 0.00079 inch, is already the thinnest on your body. Eventually, the blood vessels beneath show through, and the waterlogged fat sponges around your eyes start to sag, causing dark circles and bags. A pearl-size dollop of eye cream or serum, dabbed under each eye before bed, can take years off your peepers. Most creams, like the soothing gel from B. Kamins ($57, drugstore.com), contain topical anti-inflammatories— chemicals such as caffeine that dehydrate tissue, tightening the skin into a taut, dense layer to hide the dark circles. Serums add antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C, and E, to reverse cellular damage.

Smell good from the ground up
Cologne evaporates upward once it’s warmed by the body. That means a spritz or two on the conventional pulse points—the neck, chest, and wrists—could simply float toward the ceiling instead of wooing a nearby member of the fairer sex. Spritz your ankles as well. The fragrance will rise throughout the day, delivering soft, surprising wafts of scent.

Degrease your locks
Your scalp becomes slick in the morning, when high levels of testosterone accelerate oil production. Beating the grease means braving the cold: You need to take your final shampoo rinse under chilly water to close the oil-emitting pores in your skin. (Just hop out and stick your head around the curtain.) “This helps rinse out shampoo, too, because there’s nowhere for it to hide,” says Stephen Knoll, owner of Stephen Knoll Salon, in New York City.

Handle hair loss
If your hair is simply thinning out, use drier, lighter styling products—or none at all—to avoid gluing follicles together and reducing effective coverage. But if your mane is jumping ship en masse, admit defeat and cut your losses, champ. “The longer your hair, the easier it is to see what’s not there,” says Martial Vivot, a stylist at the Paul Labrecque Salon, in New York City.

Shine your teeth
“Don’t be fooled by whitening claims,” says Gerard Kugel, M.D., an associate dean of research at the Tufts University school of dental medicine. Stronger bleach concentrations work faster. If you want a complete overhaul from a home kit, look for a carbamide peroxide concentration of at least 10 percent. In a German study, in-office trays whitened teeth six shades in three sessions ($500 to $1,000), and the at-home variety required seven uses ($300 to $600). Whitening strips called for 32 applications ($20 to $150).

Soften your skin
Shower with lukewarm water in winter to avoid Godzilla skin. Hot water depletes your body’s oils in colder months, when humidity is low, robbing you of your natural moisturizers.

Make zits disappear
Instead of popping your pimple, dab a drop of calamine lotion on it to absorb the excess oil. Then hold an ice cube wrapped in a washcloth against the skin for 60 seconds. The cold and medication will reduce the redness, making the pimple appear puny.

Breathe easier
Washington University scientists say fumes from the bleach and ammonia in household cleaners can cause asthma attacks. If you have asthma, try this natural bathroom cleaner: 1/2 cup baking soda + 2 Tbsp castile soap.